Antibodies against phosphorylcholine are not altered in plasma of patients with Alzheimer's disease

Background: Phosphorylcholine is one of the major epitopes of oxidised low density lipoprotein. Low levels of IgM antibodies against phosphorylcholine (anti-PC) are associated with development of myocardial infarction and stroke. It has been shown that patients with Alzheimer's disease and other dementias have significantly lower serum anti-PC levels compared to controls, suggesting that low levels of atheroprotective anti-PC may play a role in AD and dementia. Methods: We quantified levels of anti-PC levels using an ELISA in plasma from 176 controls, 125 patients with Alzheimer's disease, 19 patients with vascular dementia and 63 patients with other dementias. Results: We observed similar plasma anti-PC levels in controls, patients with Alzheimer's disease, and other dementias. Conclusions: Our data suggests that anti-PC is not useful as a biomarker for Alzheimer's disease.